By Olasunkanmi Akoni

SInce assumption of office in May, 2015, Lagos State Governor, Mr Akinwunmi Ambode, has been “going about doing good”, especially to the masses and the less privileged in the state. 34 year old Mrs. Ruth Uche, a mother of three sets of twins, whose husband and father absconded recently from their Agege, Lagos home,  received the largesse from the amiable governor.

Baby with a medical condition

Ambode approved the immediate rehabilitation and undisclosed provision of welfare assistance to Uche, who had earlier visited the state government Secretariat, Alausa, to narrate her ordeal to the media. Ambode had after publication of the story in the media, promptly approved the immediate rehabilitation and provision of welfare assistance to Uche.

According to Uche, Ambode, through the deputy Governor, Mrs. Idiat Adebule, expressed deep concern over her plight and that of her children

Uche and her children had hitherto, been surviving on the little earnings she makes from the day care where she works. She expressed appreciation to the governor saying she was overwhelmed with joy at the gesture.

Her ordeal

Ruth, who hails from Abia State, has a reputation for conceiving and delivering twins. In 2009 when the Uches first conceived, Ruth gave birth to twins -Goodness and Godnews Uche. A second conception, two years later, produced another two -John and Joyce Uche. When Emeka heard of the third pregnancy in February 2015, he allegedly, ran away from their residence to an undisclosed location.

Ruth last month delivered her third set of twins – Daniel and Daniella Uche! Ruth, with her six unkempt children stormed Alausa, precisely the Ministry of Women Affairs and Poverty Alleviation (WAPA), Ikeja, saying, she took the step as she could no longer cope with widening needs for food, clothes, drugs and school fees.

She narrated thus, “I don’t want to leave the children and run away. This is why I want government to help us.” “I never wanted the third pregnancy, but her use of traditional means of family planning (counting fertile and infertile days) failed her. “My run-away husband, is a factory worker in one of the cosmetics manufacturing companies in Iju Road, Agege, before he eloped to live in an undisclosed location in Ikorodu.

“Since February, 2015 that I put to bed, I have tried calling my husband but he would not pick once he knows that it is me. I contacted his mother and other relatives to tell them that he has ran away. They promised that they will call back. Since then, none of them has called me. It is not easy for me at all.

“I went for immunization some days ago and I told them my condition and why they have not been seeing me. It was there that they advised me to come to government. Government should please help my children; no one to help me with house rent, NEPA bills, school fees, food and so on,” she said. 

Governor Akinwunmi Ambode

July 9, 2015

In an unprecedented gesture, Ambode intervened again in a pathetic case of a six months old 2015 First Baby of the Year, Miss Oluwajomiloju Ogundimu, who was flown abroad for medical attention and returned to Nigeria after a successful heart surgery in India.

Sadly, mother of Oluwajomiloju, a first class Accountancy graduate from the University of Lagos, died after giving birth at about12:01 am, January 1, 2015, before the baby was later diagnosed of heart related problem.

But with the prompt intervention of Ambode, she was flown to India where she had the operation. Little Ogundimu and her  grandmother, Mrs. Ogunnoiki Folake who later visited the seat of power in Alausa to show their appreciation to Ambode for his kind gestures, also expressed their appreciation before the media.

Speaking on behalf of the baby, Folake who was accompanied by  Mrs. Kemi Martins, a family member  expressed gratitude to Ambode and prayed for God to grant him mercy and wisdom to take the state to desired destination. She explained, “I dropped my request for assistance to Governor Ambode on Monday June 1, 2015 and he gave approval to my request by Wednesday June 3rd, 2015. God used him for me and for this I am very grateful, so I have come here to thank him”, she said.

She also appealed to the governor to assist the baby in travelling back to India for the next appointment, adding that God will reward him dearly for rendering help to her granddaughter. Ogunnoiki also called on Lagos State Government and the Federal Government to tackle the issue of persistent strikes by medical doctors, stressing that it was during the strikes embarked by medical doctors last year that she lost her first daughter who  gave birth to baby Odundimu.

“I appealed to them to find a way to put an end to strikes by medical doctors to avoid the kind of death that happened to me”, she lamented. The cost of the initial treatment which was about N5 million, was staggering to the family but the immediate intervention of the governor saved the situation, “if not for the government there was no way we could have raised the amount within a short period.”

On July 13, 2015

Again, driven by his kind heart, Ambode on the fateful day rescued an accident victim, Miss Anukam Angela, at Osborne Road, Ikoyi area of Lagos. According to accounts of eyewitnesses, the victim who drove alone in a wine-coloured Toyota Corolla car with registration number EKY 415 CG, lost control and ram into the median on Osborne Road, Ikoyi at about8:15am.

Fortunately for the victim, Ambode who was heading to the office, through the direction before the incident occurred, ordered his convoy to stop at the scene so as to enable him access the situation as well as help rescue the passengers. The governor instructed the ambulance attached to his convoy to convey Angela, who was in a state of shock, and could barely move or talk, to be taken to the Lagos Island General Hospital for treatment.

Angela’s sister, Amaka, who was contacted shortly after the incident, said her sister was treated for minor injuries and discharged free of charge on the order of the governor.

Order of thegovernor

The ambulance also conveyed the victim back to her residence at Efosa Ehiedu Close, off Modupe Thomas Estate, Ajah, while the Lagos State Traffic Management Authority (LASTMA) assisted in towing the vehicle away from the roadside to prevent traffic gridlock also free of charge. According to Ambode’s Chief Press Secretary, Mr. Habib Aruna, what the governor did was typical of him.

“It is indeed a demonstration of his concern to the wellbeing of every resident and Miss Angela is not an exception”. He has also with this act, shown his commitment to an all inclusive approach in protecting the lives and property of citizens in the state”. That is a man you will want to describe as “With a heart of Gold” for the masses and the needy.